An extra £3 million is being put into anti-bullying schemes in England where older pupils are trained to step in to resolve conflicts and help victims.

The government wants to build on pilot schemes in schools to expand what is known as "peer mentoring".

The charity ChildLine has been involved with the pilot schemes, which ministers say have cut aggression in schools.

Children and Schools Secretary Ed Balls said bullying was something everyone had to stand up to.

"Bullying is totally unacceptable in whatever form it takes. It is not an issue we can sweep under the carpet," he said.

"Peer mentoring - young people supporting each other to stamp out bullying - is an exciting scheme that is already having great success in many schools.

"I want more schools to benefit by testing different forms of peer mentoring at different age groups."

'Buddy' schemes

He said research showed children being bullied most often wanted to confide in a friend rather than go straight to a teacher.

The scheme would not be a substitute for disciplining bullies but would help deal with the problem.

The government says it wants these pilots to test out various forms of peer mentoring.

These include pairing a new child with an older one who mentors them; "buddy" schemes for playgrounds; training children to listen to other's problems and "cybermentoring" where young people support others who are being bullied on the internet or by mobile phone.

It's very worrying that so many children calling ChildLine about bullying are at the age of starting secondary school